In The Name of the Father

Gerri Hill
Bella Books

Brisk is the word for this undemanding but entertaining mystery/police procedural that continues the story of Dallas homicide detectives Tori Hunter and Samantha Kennedy, who were introduced in Hunter's Way. Still basking in the glow of their newfound love, the women are dealing with typical couple issues like whether or not to move in together, while on the work front they are figuring out if they can still work as partners. Not to mention the trifling matter of a new case, the murder of a young priest in what appears to be a sex crime. With their prime suspect also dead, and a hotshot publicist hired by the Church trying to control the case, personal matters take a backseat to an investigation that leads to corruption in unexpected places. Hill doesn't waste time with a lot of descriptions or characterization; the majority of the book is dialogue, and at times it feels like the transcript of an episode of Law and Order: SVU. But it's a good episode, with snappy banter and a mystery that escalates in complexity and danger; and though the resolution is a little too tidy, it's a fun journey.